


Fast Friends

by Leucotis



Category: Kemono Friends 2
Genre: Feel-good, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:06:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24758266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leucotis/pseuds/Leucotis
Summary: Extensive overhaul / expanded reimagining of Kemono Friends 2, episode 7. Some light affection and minor conflict between characters, with a little humor sprinkled in. I'm hoping it comes off as very "episode-like." Enjoy.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

Cheetah awoke to the warm rays of the sunrise prickling at her eyes, threatening to pry them open. Her eyelids opened a crack, but she rolled over to turn her head the other way, doing her best to stay comfortable in her perch without sitting up. After inching around some more and flopping an arm around, she finally found a good position to stall out the morning light for a few more minutes. Cheetah liked to take her mornings slow, and for good reason, she thought. She was going to wake up to another day as the fastest thing in Japari Park. There was nobody who even came close to topping her records, so why not keep taking it easy?

Still, she eventually obeyed the itching of her body and neatly slid out of her favorite sleeping tree, landing on all fours on an island of soft grass. Before her stretched a dry desert wasteland, devoid of greenery except for a few out of place acacias. She knew there was a thicker grove of them somewhere to her left, and some foreboding mesas beyond, but there was no time to admire the scenery. As Cheetah paced around the grassy mound, she felt her legs naturally tensing up, her tail twitching back and forth, and knew what she had to do. Just a few more deep breaths — a moment to straighten out her signature spotted tie and skirt — and she broke off into a run.

Yes! Now that was more like it. Some mornings, things didn't feel right until she jogged at full speed, exercising her special talent for the sheer pleasure of it. Bounding over the long shadows from the sunrise, plotting a course over a spill of rocks, clearing a dusty creek bed in a single bound, all while feeling the wind rush across her face — that was the joy of running. She dashed wherever and however she wanted across the landscape, sometimes fanning her arms out to appreciate the free breeze across them. She was just messing around, and nobody could even begin to catch up to her. Nobody, at least, except…

The sound of a second pair of pounding feet snapped Cheetah out of her morning reverie. Looking over her shoulder, she could only make out an approaching silhouette, but she recognized those horns anywhere. It was Pronghorn, the only Friend who came close to being her rival in speed, and she was closing in fast. Cheetah kept her pace at a jog and let her catch up — Pronghorn would chase her across the desert for hours if she didn't.

"Oh, you're up already? Didn't expect to see you out so early," Cheetah said once Pronghorn was in earshot. The pair slowed their pace to a relatively courteous trot. 

"Ha! I've been awake for at least an hour. Been doing my warm-up runs the entire time. I'll bet you were sleeping though."

"I've been running since sunrise — I don't believe you," said Cheetah, knowing full well that Pronghorn could have easily been training before dawn. She may have been a natural morning person, but when it came to disciplined schedules, Pronghorn was an absolute freak.

"You'd better believe it. It takes that long just to get my momentum going, so I'm ready to challenge you. Let's race!"

Cheetah somehow managed to groan in between in between breaths. The day had barely even begun, and already the banter was going like it always did. Oh well — that just meant Cheetah got to remind Pronghorn how their races always ended, sooner rather than later.

"Fine. If you've really been running this whole time, I bet you'll be too tired to catch me," Cheetah returned the boast. "To the watering hole, just like usual."

"There again? That's way too short. I said I've been going for an hour, and I bet I can take an hour more!"

"You're just saying that because you know I'll win a shorter race. Sprints are what it means to be the fastest, so come on, let's get this over with."

"Your arrogance will be your downfall, Cheetah!" Pronghorn bellowed, with an appropriate amount of melodrama. "One day I will overtake you, both in speed and distance!"

Cheetah really wanted to roll her eyes, but didn't want to break her concentration on the stony trail. Instead, she turned her head, made a single nod to Pronghorn's wide brown eyes, and that was enough to send them off.

The athletic duo zipped forward, accelerating into a quick turn around a sloping cliff face and entering into a blistering sprint. The back of Pronghorn's dark orange track jacket flapped around in her wake, revealing her short auburn tuft of a tail. Meanwhile, Cheetah's long golden hair went horizontal, trailing behind her like a comet, while she used her much longer, limber tail for balance. They were neck and neck, Pronghorn heaving and attacking the ground at the limit of her ability — but Cheetah was only at what she called her "casual" speed. 

Once the watering hole came into view — a hazy dark spot in the blinding morning sun — Cheetah spared a bark of a laugh and let herself _explode_ forward with speed. With huge, lightning-fast strides, she flew over the flat ground, eating up the expanse in a matter of seconds. A humanoid blur, she was kicking up so much of a cloud behind her that when she pivoted to a stop, she couldn't even make out who was at the watering hole with her.

"Geez, you're up early," said a high-pitched, chirpy voice. 

Cheetah watched her other wannabe competitor, Greater Roadrunner, emerge as her little dust devil died out. Sort of a hanger-on and cheerleader for Pronghorn, she was leagues slower and even less of a threat to her title. Not that it made her any less annoying. 

"You're showboating again. Do you always have to show off your top speed like that?" Roadrunner continued, shaking the grit out of her pale, sand-colored hair. Her darker-colored wings and mohawk fluttered above the vibrant red–white–blue feathers nestled into her ears. Looking closely, Cheetah could swear she saw a star pattern in Roadrunner's front bangs too. She didn't know what it meant, but it did look kind of cool. 

"I have one speed, and it is top," Cheetah asserted, hoping that made sense. She put her hands to her hips and raised her chin to make sure Roadrunner got the message — namely that she was superior, and her speed reigned supreme. 

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you have to run away from your friends and… _Pronghorn-sama!"_ Roadrunner shrieked, making Cheetah reach for her ears. The horned Friend had finally made up the distance of Cheetah's burst sprint in about twice the time. 

"You were great out there _Pronghorn-sama!_ Your sprinting's getting better every day — don't let the _show-off_ say otherwise." Roadrunner narrowed her olive-colored eyes at Cheetah, who was still holding her overbearing pose.

"Eh, it's fine. Better to have strong opponents to train against, who will push you even harder. Remember that!" said Pronghorn, giving Roadrunner an quick pat on the back before turning to Cheetah. "It was a good race. Keep it up on the next one, eh?"

Pronghorn extended her gloved hand, a steadfast smile on her face. That was the other thing Cheetah never understood about her rival. Not only did she never give up challenging her speed, she always kept up a friendly, encouraging attitude, even while she was always losing. It so obnoxiously… _sportsmanlike!_

"Uh, yeah… you too," Cheetah answered awkwardly, taking Pronghorn's hand and shaking once. "So, were you planning to meet Roadrunner out here?"

"I'm here to make sure breakfast's ready, just like we planned it — right Pronghorn?" Roadrunner said, answering the question herself. "Staying on schedule means training faster and going faster, like you said!"

With that, she flitted off in the direction of the watering hole itself, followed by a hungry-looking Pronghorn. 

"Hmm. Well it's nice to have company…even I run in a class of my own." Cheetah muttered to herself, before taking a seat with the others.

The "watering hole," as the group had come to call it, was simply a small natural spring, a steady trickle of water somehow forcing its way up from the layers of desert rock below. There were some sun-bleached, dried-out logs conveniently arranged around the mouth. A little too convenient, Cheetah sometimes thought — she'd never seen trees like that around here. A few smaller, live trees provided some shade (too small for sleeping though), and a rusty metal post with some weird shapes on it marked the space as a landmark.

This place was also where Boss usually came around to give out food, and Cheetah soon spotted him waddling up the slope, Japari buns gathered in the wide brim of his funny yellow hat. Roadrunner gave him a wave, and he hopped into to the center of their gathering, the hat not so much as teetering on the bounce. 

Tentatively, Cheetah took one of the pale yellow buns and bit in, then reflexively recoiled as a flash of heat seared her taste buds.

"Something wrong, Cheetah?" Pronghorn asked in between huge bites of her own bun — she was nearly finished already.

Cheetah's grimace intensified. "It's the food out here. Why does it have to be so spicy?" Ever since migrating from the savannah area in search of faster opponents, she hadn't had too many complaints. Only the insufferable intensity of the Japari bun flavors consistently annoyed. Day after day, it was either a choice of hot, hotter, or hottest! 

"If it tastes hot, it keeps you sweating, which is great for when it gets really warm around here," said Pronghorn. "At least, I think that's how it works. What do you think Roadrunner?"

"Beats me, I just know the hotter the better!" Roadrunner exclaimed. She squeezed out her bun's inner filling, where the spice was concentrated, and lapped it up with gusto. The outer crust was then set aside alongside a pile of two others. 

"It can't be good for you," said Cheetah. Gingerly, she nibbled at her bun's edges, trying to avoid triggering the flavor bomb within.

Roadrunner replied, "It's just a little spice…I've had better…hey that reminds me! I got the book _Pronghorn-sama_ wanted."

"You got a what?" questioned Cheetah suspiciously

"I said I got a book!"

"One of those papery things you just sit around and stare at?" Cheetah wondered how the impish bird Friend could ever stay still long enough to use it.

"I don't know, the Friends at the library lab place or whatever helped me find it. I already know what it's about."

Roadrunner pulled out a large, hardcover tome covered with glossy illustrations. "See, _air-oh-bick_ fitness," she said, pointing to the raised black shapes on the book as she sounded them out. "That's what those owls told me, and that means it's about running."

"Wow, it must be!," Pronghorn agreed enthusiastically, looking at the book from over Roadrunner's shoulder. "See, look at that…and that too!"

Cheetah followed Pronghorn's finger as it jabbed at the colorful figures all over the cover. Caught in mid-stride, it definitely looked like they were running hard.

"So it's just pictures? I don't know about you two, but I think my technique is…" 

"No, there's more inside," Roadrunner interrupted. She turned to a page bookmarked by a white-tipped feather and started gesturing to blocks of mysterious symbols.

Pronghorn asked, "Is this it? Does it talk about the different types of running races in here?" She scanned the page, completely absorbed despite her lack of understanding.

"There are different types of races?" asked Cheetah, trying to edge in closer and get her own view of the book.

"Yup! One is the, uh, one-hundred meter dash, which is super short and favors sprinters." Roadrunner answered. "Those are people who can run really, really fast, but not for very long."

"Sound like Cheetah alright," Pronghorn commented.

"But that's not all! It's just like you thought, _Pronghorn-sama."_

"Ok, what's this really about?" Cheetah asked suspiciously, not used to being ignored. 

"There's a race for the opposite kind of runner, ones who are slower but can run for a really long time, just like you! It's called, it's called…"  
Roadrunner hesitated, trying to remember what she had heard in the library, before pointing to a bold heading in one of the corners.  
"The marathon!"

At that moment, a strange chill seemed to run up Cheetah's spine.

"Aha! So there is a way I can beat her. I knew there was more to speed than sprinting — Cheetah!"  
Pronghorn suddenly leaped away from the book and leveled her arm in an imposing stance.  
"I challenge you to this 'marathon,' effective immediately. You may be quicker in bursts, but you can't call yourself the fastest without speed _and_ endurance. We can start right now, as soon as you're ready!"

"Wait up a minute," Cheetah replied, racking her brain for an excuse. "You can't just ask me to run on forever and then just go past when I get tired. That's silly, and you know you'd win." She tried to put up her usual smirk, but her eyes betrayed her nervousness.

"Just like _you_ know you'll win all those short dashes. I'm tired of you saying 'Go to that tree', 'head to that rock over there'. If you can see it, you know you'll win!"

"Well that's what it means to be the _fastest_ and not the most enduring, or whatever this is. You're not going to get my title like that."

"Hmph. It's still a challenge, and you ought to push yourself longer distances," Pronghorn grunted. "But you have a point. Does the book say how long this 'marathon' is?"

"Uh, I'm sure…hm…" Roadrunner mumbled, realizing those featherbrains didn't tell her the most important part. "I think they said it was twenty-six miles, but I didn't ask what a mile was…"

"Twenty-six miles…" Cheetah repeated. She stared at the page again, focusing on the section under the dreaded heading. There were two symbol-line things that were sort of familiar to her. A hook on top of a flat part, and a circle with another curve coming out the top…  
"Hey, this part kind of looks like what's on those signs out by the black road," she concluded. That was their name for the big path that ran on the border of their territory, since it was paved with a dark stone that got really hot under the sun. Every so often, there was a green and white sheet of metal placed next to it, each one with the same line-shapes. 

"You think the marathon is how long the black road is? It ends at that cool place with the arch, right?"

"Oooh, I love that place! It'd make a great finish line," Roadrunner piped in, happy to encourage her mentor. 

"So, maybe the marathon is from the first big sign to…about at the stone arch. Sound like a good enough challenge?" asked Pronghorn, raising an eyebrow at Cheetah expectantly.

"I don't know…" Cheetah answered without thinking, failing to keep the dread out of her voice. Although the distance now became finite, she still couldn't picture herself handling a run that long, and her words trailed off.  
"I've never done anything like that and I'm not sure I…uh…"

"If you're not sure, I'll help you along. We'll reach new frontiers of speed together!"

Watching her ever-enthusiastic rival pump her fist with a self-assured grin, Cheetah let out a sigh. She knew that whenever Pronghorn got set on a goal like this, it was impossible to let her down. 

"I mean I'm not sure if it'd be fun for you," Cheetah answered haughtily, saving her face. "If it's such a long race, then you might get lonely when I leave you behind."

Pronghorn only smiled wider at her boast. "So you accept?"

"If it's a real race, I'll beat you, hands down. So, I—"

_AWOOOOOOOO!!_

Before Cheetah could accept, she was cut off by a frighteningly loud howl coming from the over trail. Looking in that direction, she saw that it heralded the appearance of a dark-skinned canine friend she hadn't seen before. The newcomer wore tawny arm and leg coverings, which Cheetah thought clashed horribly with her skin tone. The rest of her outfit, however, was more interesting: a short, dust-coated jacket exposing her midriff and a taupe skirt bound by a black belt. The belt had a shiny buckle decorated by a rectangular arrangement of stars and stripes. Finally, her cropped shirt had a pointed shield design on it, which somehow reminded Cheetah of the road signs they were just discussing with the marathon. 

"I'm Coyote, nice to meet ya'll!" the new friend barked before Cheetah could even think of a polite greeting. "Cute place ya' got here, mind'f I stay a while?"

Without waiting for answer, Coyote made a beeline for Boss' hat. She grabbed one of the spare Japari buns and wasted no time digging in. 

"So you're new here," she continued, pausing a moment to flash Cheetah a toothy grin. "We don't see too many cats out here."

"I'm Cheetah, from the savannah area. I'm pretty famous out there" When Coyote failed to look up her from her breakfast, she added. "It's because I'm the fastest Friend in the world — nothing can outrun me."

"Wow…" Coyote uttered, her eyes widening for a second. "Kinda figures though, this is where all the fast runners seem ta' end up. Oh, and hey Pronghorn, how're you doin'?"

"Great, and faster than ever!"

"Wait, you know her already?" Cheetah asked Pronghorn.

"Yeah, I think she's from around here, but I haven't seen her lately…"

"It's because I've been traveling." Coyote piped in. "Running around, exploring different places, going wherever my voice takes me. _AWOOOO!"_

Coyote punctuated her answer with another short howl, loud enough to make Cheetah reach for her ears.

"So, is there anything out there? Past the canyon?" said Pronghorn. 

"Naw, not really. 'Smore about the journey than the destination, or somethin' like that. I only came back 'cause I heard Roadrunner was hangin' out with you now."

At that moment, Cheetah realized Roadrunner was being unusually quiet. A quick glance found her huddling out of sight below her taller friend's shoulders. 

Coyote continued, "So Roadrunner — are ya' ready to apologize for back then?"

"Apologize for what? I didn't do anything!" Roadrunner shouted defiantly, though she was still keeping her distance from behind Pronghorn.

"You mean ya' still don't get it!?" Coyote hollered, her tone souring rapidly. "I chased you 'round everywhere for weeks, then left ya' alone so you could cool off, but ya' still won't say sorry? What's wrong with you!?" 

"What happened was your fault. If you can't get over it, don't blame me!" Folding her arms, Roadrunner turned her head and pouted.

"Then I'll just have ta' _make_ you apologize then…" growled Coyote as she began to pace — stalking her would-be prey?

"You'll have to catch me first!" Roadrunner taunted in turn, like she was expecting this part. 

"Agh, not again…" Cheetah heard Coyote mumble to herself, even as she lunged at Roadrunner, hands outstretched.

 _"Beep beep!"_ Roadrunner chirped twice before sticking her tongue out as many times. Then she sprung away from the group in a blinding sprint, followed by Coyote in hot pursuit. 

Cheetah watched them dash down the hillside, each kicking up a cloud of dust at their back. After about a minute, it looked like the sandy brown blur was about to overtake the bright blue one, but Roadrunner must have used her wings, bounding up a steep cliff side and forcing Coyote to take the long way around. 

"Huh…do you know what that was all about?" Cheetah said to Pronghorn, who seemed divided between concern for her friend and eagerness to get back to discussing their race. 

"Not at all. Roadrunner never said anything, and I don't know Coyote well enough. I'm sure they'll be fine though."

"Probably. It just looks like some play-hunting to me."

"Hopefully. So now, Cheetah!," Pronghorn said excitedly, back to full bravado. "Accept my challenge and race me in the marathon!" 

"I accept, but on one condition." Cheetah replied cautiously. "I'm going to need some training first."  
Pronghorn raised her eyebrows and Cheetah quickly corrected herself, trying not to betray her uncertainty.  
"I don't mean I'm slow. I just need some time to…uh, build up some momentum, hit a stride, you know?"

"Nothing to be ashamed of — I was just heading our for another hour, remember? You should join me!"

"Well, maybe I was thinking of doing things on my own…"

"Nonsense, that misses the entire point! Training always goes better when you have someone to run against. And if Roadrunner's gone… I guess I need someone to talk to out there, heh."

Pronghorn moved in for another friendly cap on the back, but Cheetah was already edging away.

"You're probably right…but seriously, I'm not running for a whole hour, and you can't make me. Sorry, bye!"

Succumbing to her nervous impulses, it was now Cheetah's turn to flee down the side of the hill before Pronghorn could force her into a high-endurance slog. 

"Cheetah, wait!" shouted Pronghorn, chasing after her. "We'll go for thirty minutes. Or ten? Another sprint? Please?"

"Not happening. Try me later!"

Honestly, Cheetah had wanted a slow, maybe even a lazy morning, and now she was staking her title on a race she didn't even know if she could finish, let alone win. Why had she done that? It made her want to go straight back to her favorite tree and take a nap — outrunning Pronghorn was training enough!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my arrogant opinion, one of the (many) missed opportunities in S2E07 was having Roadrunner walking around with a direct Looney Toons shout-out on her shirt without taking the reference further. So, meet our Wile E Coyote. I'm not quite if a true southern accent is right for her, but I imagine she does speak fast and loose, so, why not practice writing some janky dialogue?


	2. Chapter 2

Despite her best efforts, Pronghorn had been unable to pin down Cheetah long enough for anything resembling a training regime, and had lost sight of her sometime mid-morning. So, after a quick snack for lunch, she found herself aimlessly wandering around some of the craggy cliffs to the north of her territory.

There, she ran across Coyote busying herself with some sort of multi-part mechanical apparatus. A long rope led from the ground, through a few metal bits attached to the cliff face, and finally up to a big thing dangling from a hook in the overhang. It looked like a cage made of stiff fibers…or maybe just a giant basket? Either way, she had never seen anything like it.

"What are you doing here?" Pronghorn asked while running in place. Unwilling to stop her jog, she pumped her knees up higher to make up for the lost motion. 

"Doin' what it looks like I'm doin'" Coyote answered flatly, tying the middle of the rope line into place.

"You're building something. Something really tall, but…aren't you supposed to start from the bottom and not the top?"

"Huh? I ain't building somethin', dummy! I'm trying to _catch_ somethin'. I'm sure you can guess what…if you ever stop movin', that is."

"Oh, you mean you're going to drop that?" said Pronghorn, unperturbed. "But if the rope's down here, how can you control when…oh wow!" 

Curious, she had approached one of the metal things and saw it was a disk with groove for the rope to run through. She broke her stride to tug on the line. With a bit of thought, she realized that it could take whatever was pulling on one end, and redirect it elsewhere

"Cool, eh?" said Coyote, pleased at Pronghorn's interest. "It's called a pulley. One of ta' simple machines.

"This thing, a machine? Guess that's pretty clever of you."

"Ya' got that right!" Coyote exclaimed, smiling proudly. "Coyotes're always doin' clever things. The're legends that go way, way back, where they're always trickin' people, usin' their wits. _AWOOO!"_

"Ha, I'll bet. But then…"  
Pronghorn took another look at the wicker construction dangling in the wind, and suddenly thought of Roadrunner.  
"…you're not going to hurt her, are you?"

"Hurt 'er with this? Naw, she's tougher'n that, believe me. I've known her longer than you, y'know?"

"I don't, actually." Pronghorn sat down on a flat rock, willing to rest to listen for the remainder of the story.

"Yeah, we go way back. Used to run 'round to all sorts of different places with her. She'd a knack of never retracin' her steps — kind of a…pioneerin' spirit, yeah! We'd meet all sorts'f new Friends, and then play pranks on 'em!"

"What type of pranks?" Pronghorn certainly knew about Roadrunner's mischievous side, and she could tell Coyote was the rambunctious type.

"Oh, I dunno. Maybe I'd build somethin' like this, and then Roadrunner'd lure them into it. And we'd always get away with it 'cause we were so fast!"

"Ah, so you think you're a fast Friend, huh?" Pronghorn suddenly realized she had been sitting motionless for far too long and leaped to her feet. She started another stationary jog, kicking her heels all the way to her rear.

"Whoa — not as fast as you. I've seen ya' a few times; you're in a totally different league. No worries."

"Guess not. Well, if you haven't seen Cheetah around…"  
Pronghorn turned in place and prepared to continue down the trail in her search.

"Wait, stop fr'a bit!" Coyote yelped before she could get going. "You're goin' to want ta' see this work, when I actually get Roadrunner un'er this thing."

"And how's that going to work? I can see the trap coming from way far away." said Pronghorn, suddenly less impressed with the trickster's handiwork. 

"Jus' watch. If ya' hung out with her for as long's I have, ya'd know all it takes is this…"

~~~~~

Simultaneously, from a high, sheltered vantage point on the tall cliffs above, Cheetah had been watching Pronghorn slow down to talk to Coyote. From her lookout, she could barely observe her rival stop to observe the looming trap, but she kept low so she wouldn't be spotted. 

"Hiya Cheetah!"

"Gah! Where did you—? _Stay quiet!"_  
Cheetah reacted to Roadrunner's inopportune greeting by nearly jumping six feet into the air. She then scrabbled around on all fours, and finally grabbed and stuffed the birdbrained Friend behind a bush with her.  
"And stay down, her sight's even better than her hearing" 

"Oh, so we're playing hide and seek with Pronghorn now? And I thought she just wanted to go running with you."

Roadrunner jabbed at Cheetah with her elbow, taunting her with an insouciant smirk. Cheetah countered with what she hoped was her best royal pout. 

"I'm not trying to hide from her, I'm just…already…"

"Already tired?" Roadrunner butted in before Cheetah could finish an answer. "Come on, you can't be done for the day right now! I'll just call her over for you. _Pronghorn Sa—mmph"_

Again, Cheetah wrestled the smaller girl to the ground before she could attract attention.

"Oh, so you're actually training your stealth, not your speed, huh?" Roadrunner continued as soon as Cheetah unwrapped her arm from her mouth. "Thinking if Pronghorn can't see you during the race, she'll get confused?"

"The only reason Pronghorn won't see me is because I'll be too far ahead," Cheetah muttered. "Now give me a break already, and if you're staying, stay quiet!" 

She hissed on her last words, and Roadrunner finally seemed to get the point. 

"Fine, fine. But you really should go running with her. It really puts it her in a good mood."

"Does it now?"

"You bet! Pronghorn was actually really boring when I first met her, but when you came around, she started being more fun and exciting."

"You're joking again."

"Nope. Right after you started running around here, that's when she started talking about speed records and races and stuff. It's like you…inspired her, I guess."

"Inspired…" Cheetah repeated the word incredulously. Pronghorn was so hardworking, training for hours while she spent most of the day lounging around. And when they did race for speed, she beat Pronghorn effortlessly every time. It didn't make any sense.

_"Pfft,_ get a load of this"

Cheetah's thoughts were broken by Roadrunner's snickering. She pointed at Coyote, who seemed to be setting up something on the path underneath the hanging object.

"What's she doing?" asked Cheetah "Does it have something to do with the basket thing?"

"Dunno, but I guess she thinks she can drop it on me if I go under it."

"But why would you do that? It's easy to see it coming."

"I know, right? I don't get why she expects me to fall for one of _our_ old tricks."

_"Your_ old tricks?"

"Long story. Unless she has…is that it?…yes! She has—"

"—a burnt piece of bread," said Pronghorn, observing the ordinary slice of white bread Coyote had produced, and was now placing in a wooden bowl underneath the overhang.

"It's not burnt! Look at that perfect browning pattern. This isn't just bread, it's—"

"—TOAST!" Roadrunner cried, right before launching herself off the edge of the cliff. Using her long tailfeathers like a rudder, she was able to precisely control her descent, charting a careening course through the crags and boulders with instinctual ease. Cheetah had to give the bird girl some credit; compared to her, she may have not been too fast, but she was incredibly agile.

Landing on the level ground of the trail, Roadrunner stooped to all fours, then barreled forward in a sort of low glide. As she passed over the bowl, she snagged the slice of toast directly with her mouth, using her arms to help bring her momentum to a stop.

Coyote, lurking in the shadow of the cliff, was ready for her. With good timing she let go of the rope at the place she had unknotted it. But for some reason, the cage wasn't falling, even though Roadrunner was still standing around in place, as if she was waiting for it.

Apparently forgetting her plan, Coyote leapt from the shade with a frustrated growl. Her hunter's pounced missed at the last second though, her prey simply fluttering into the air.

"Argh, play fair for once, you cheater!" Coyote shouted at the flying Friend. 

Roadrunner didn't answer, her mouth being full of toast. Instead, she lazily floated up to one of the pulleys, where the rope had been jammed. She loosened the end, whereupon it predictably zipped up, around the hook, and followed the falling trap, now aimed directly at the one who set it. 

"There, I think I fixed it for you — oh hi _Pronghorn–sama!"_ Roadrunner chirped after finally taking a nibble of her prize. 

The crash of the cage landing, followed by scraping and grinding as Coyote furiously clawed her way out of it, drowned out any response Pronghorn made.

"Well, got to keep moving. Bye _Pronghorn–sama!"_

With that, Roadrunner made a speedy retreat down the trail, arms outstretched like wings and toast flopping around back her mouth. Coyote followed, hot on her heels and spitting childish insults.

From the cliff above, Cheetah had watched the entire spectacle with detached bemusement. Coyote's little invention was kind of cool, she supposed, butt it would never capture any Friend as nimble as Roadrunner. She hoped Pronghorn was getting the same message — there were some people you just couldn't beat, some races you could never win. Then Pronghorn would stop bothering her, and she could get back to her nap schedule.

"Oh, Cheetah, there you are!" yelled a voice from below. "I think those two will be fine. If you're scouting for out next place to run to, I'll be up there in a bit — it's make good incline training!"

Drat. She was so fixated on Roadrunner's antics she forgot she was supposed to be hiding. Now Pronghorn was going to bother her again, with her endless work, impossible demands…

She looked down at rival bounding up the tight trail up the cliffside. Her smile was beaming, wide and confident. _Inspired,_ you could say.

…her supportive attitude, infectious energy — darn it! 

Cheetah cut her absentminded thoughts short and entered a jog. Inspired or not, she wasn't going to give up and let Pronghorn destroy her leg muscles for the rest of the day, only to come around and do it again tomorrow. Her speed was perfect as it was. She could rest on her laurels, knowing she was prepared for any race, even that marathon…or so she hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roadrunner's (new) official art inexplicably depicts her running around with a piece of toast flopping around in her mouth. This chapter is my logical interpretation. 
> 
> Actually scratch that. Checking Roadrunner's Japari Library page just now, I'm informed that it's probably a reference to how absentminded, tardy girls in anime always end up running places with breakfast in their mouths. Even if that's a hilarious way for _toast_ to become a "moe accessory," I'm sticking with this.


	3. Chapter 3

"Cheetah! Come on, Cheetah!"

"I said no, and that's final!"

For days in a row now, Pronghorn had been nagging Cheetah about her supposed training regiment — mostly on how she falling short of it. Every sunrise it was jogging around the desert until noon, with only one stop for breakfast and two for water. When she did participate, it had been a nice change of pace, even if Pronghorn's running style was a bit boring. But after a few grueling daily repetitions, Cheetah felt her legs were going to fall off. That's why she had tried to sneak away to her favorite tree for a nap, as if Pronghorn hadn't immediately known to find her there. 

"You're getting soft, Cheetah!" Pronghorn continued calling from the ground.

Cheetah rolled over on her back, then sat up. "Soft? This is the hardest I've worked in…forever!"

"Well there's your problem! If you come down from there, I'll help you get going again, and we can discover new frontiers of speed!"

Cheetah groaned and folded her forearm over her face. She was using her word again…she should go and get her own. Maybe that we give her something to do for a while…

That thought gave her an idea. "You know, I really am feeling weak from those last laps. Water would help, but it's so far, so while I recover…would you get me some?"

Cheetah watched Pronghorn's ears prick up at the unusual request. You couldn't fetch water out here; there was nothing to carry it in.

"Hmm…a tough job, but I accept the challenge," Pronghorn pronounced, punctuating with a stamp of her foot. Then she ran off, shouting "Thy will be done, King Cheetah!"

Cheetah bristled at the sarcasm, yelling back, "That's just _Cheetah_ to you!" Because really, the less said about her older sister, the better.

Trying to avoid thoughts of the only other Friend who just _may_ have beaten her in a sprinting race a long time ago (depends on who you ask), Cheetah tried to nod off again, grateful for every minute she had left to herself. However, she didn't even have time to get in a decent daydream before Pronghorn came barking up her tree again. 

"Alright, I'm back. Coming down for a drink?"

Pronghorn was standing directly beneath her with a large wooden bowl filled with water. It was wedged between her horns, of all places. Did she pick up the one Coyote was using? And more importantly, did she actually walk all the way from here to the watering hole with that much weight on her head? Cheetah had to give her credit — not that she was ready to voice it. 

"Uh, I'm…not thirsty any more," Cheetah lied, not sure of how to react.

"What? You said you were dying of thirst up there when I left!"

"Well, I must have found some up here then, so now I'm not."

"Where? In the leaves?"

"Maybe…"

"So you're a herbivore now?"

"No! I mean…don't jump to conclusions!" Grimacing, Cheetah tightened her grip on the branch she was sitting on. First the water, and now this — Pronghorn was never this persistent! 

Her rival sighed, furrowed her brow, and took the water bowl into her hands. "Well, I spent a lot of time getting this, and I wouldn't want it to go to waste. Just so you don't have to run to the watering hole again, I should probably just give it to you right now."

To Cheetah's alarm, Pronghorn was now holding the water like she was about to heave it up into her face. Instinctively flinching, she lost her footing and fell out of her tree, but miraculously righted herself to land on all fours at the last moment. 

"Alright, that does it," Cheetah snarled.

"You're finally going to admit what a great partner I am?" Pronghorn suggested earnestly, puffing out her chest a little.

"Hardly. I'm going to give you a piece of my mind and scare you away so I can nap again. I'll use my special technique!"

"Special technique…?" Pronghorn stepped back a few paces, not sure whether to feel threatened. 

"It's my supersonic roar — Here I go!"

Upon gathering her breath, Cheetah stepped back, threw out her arms, and voiced out a powerful, resounding _Meeeeowrp!_

Pronghorn winced, more from her expectation than at the sound itself.

_Miieeeeeoorr! Mweeeeiiiirrp!_

Cheetah continued her "roaring," but instead of fleeing in fear, Pronghorn just stood there, a silly smile growing on her face. Then she doubled over in laughter, right in front of her.

"Why…why aren't you running away? My roar inspires fear and awe in all who hear it!"

"You call that a roar?" Pronghorn said between her big-throated guffaws. "It sounds more like a sound Roadrunner would make!"

_Chiirrrrup!_

"Yes, exactly like that!"

"Grr…shut up!" Cheetah hissed, barely catching her breath. "It's just high pitched, that's all. That's why it's supersonic!"

"You can't actually roar, can you? Why, I bet you're not even one of the 'great' cats…"

"Arrrrgh!! Come here!"

With one more squeaky _mhheeeiiirp,_ Cheetah lunged at Pronghorn, who deftly bounced backwards, turning her momentum into a jog. Cheetah followed suit, and their usual chase was on, only in reverse.

"I finally got you going. That wasn't too hard, was it?" Pronghorn called back to the not-so-great cat girl. "Sometimes, you just have to push yourself through a block, and then you're— whoa!"

Pronghorn was forced to jump to the side to avoid a second lunge from Cheetah. She had accelerated quickly, recklessly clawing forward with all of her energy.

"Exactly, that's the idea. I knew you still had plenty of stamina in you!" 

"And stop with the lecturing already!"

Cheetah pounced again and again, whenever she got in an arm's length of Pronghorn, but her nimble adversary was swift on her feet. She turned on a dime to dodge each time, and the pair kicked up huge waves of dust in a random design of sharp corners. 

After a few minutes, Pronghorn slowed down and told Cheetah, "Ok, that's enough agility practice, even though you definitely need to brush up. Maybe we can try some more play-hunting later?"

"I'm not playing!"

"Cool, I don't play around when I'm training either. Race you to the canyon over there — go!" Pronghorn took one second to point to the entrance of a narrow slot canyon winding between some tall mesas, and dashed off

Unbelievable. Either Pronghorn was impossibly thick-skulled, or she got some weird kick out of getting Cheetah worked up. Maybe both. Either way, the thought infuriated her. Maybe that was why Cheetah found herself catching up in no time, even though Pronghorn had a decent head start. In fact, she even felt her burst speed energy coming back to her.

"Even after all of that, you're still slower!" Cheetah taunted as she blitzed past her rival. "Who's showing up who now?"

"If it gets your lazy tail moving!"

"I heard that!" 

With her lungs aching, both from the exertion and the banter, Cheetah was forced to slow down as she passed into the shade of the canyon walls. On cue, Pronghorn shot by and left her in a cloud of dust.

"I'll say it again then. Your lazy tail!"

_"Gaaaaaaahhh!"_ Spurred on again, Cheetah ran faster and harder than she could remember, barely even feeling her legs against the sting of those comments. She was abreast of Pronghorn in a few seconds.

"I say…you're just jealous!" Cheetah stammered out.

"Jealous…" For a tenuous moment, Pronghorn's steady pace seemed to falter. With a shake of her head though, she regained her momentum and hung on to her lead. "At least I've got actual endurance!"

"But my speed's still on top!"

The two then went silent for a while, putting all their concentration into navigating the twists and turns of the winding slot canyon. Shoulder to shoulder, they jostled against each other in not-quite accidental collisions. Both were totally lost in the heat of competition, neither considering what was actually ahead of them, until Cheetah gasped:

"Wait, isn't this that place where we got—"

Her observation was cut short by the abrupt lack of ground under her feet. At the canyon's edge, she and Pronghorn didn't just fail to stop in time, they ran clear off the cliff like it wasn't even there. Comically, they almost seemed to hover in midair for a moment before falling into the glittering blue water below with a colossal SPLASH!.

Pronghorn popped up on the surface like a cork while Cheetah slowly rose on her back. The big lake on the edge of the canyon area happened to be extremely saline, allowing the two Friends to float around in it effortlessly.

"Hey, you're right!" Pronghorn spoke first. "I think this is the same place where Serval pushed us at the end of a race. We must have been going even faster this time to not see it. Isn't that cool?"

_"PRROOONNGHOOORRNN!"_ Cheetah screamed, scrabbling to her feet in the shallows. 

"What? You don't think that was cool?"

"It's not cool! You know I hate getting wet, and you led us right in there!"

"Me? Weren't you ahead at least half the time…?"

"…and now my hair's all soggy and salty, and it's going to take all day to dry out…" rambled Cheetah, ignoring the one who got her into this mess.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad! We needed a way to cool off anyway, right?"

"You weren't so happy about it last time!"

"Yeah, but then I didn't realize that we…pfft…" 

Pronghorn snorted as Cheetah glared at her with a petulant pout.

"It's because together, we're just so…and we did it again… _bwahahaha!"_

Instead of finishing her thought, Pronghorn burst out laughing, leaving Cheetah wringing her hands.

"If it's so funny, then take this!" Cheetah exclaimed, slapping the surface of the water and splashing Pronghorn directly in the face. 

"Oh, so it's that sort of competition now, is it?" said Pronghorn, returning fire with a brisk splash of her own. "Bet you don't hate the water now…"

Cheetah just growled and sent larger and larger surges of water at Pronghorn. As ever, her rival answered her challenge and fought back just as hard. Soon, they were crashing around the lake's edge, leveraging their whole bodies into making as big of waves as possible. Then, in a desperate move, Cheetah threw herself at Pronghorn, trying to make a big splash right in her face. Instead, she stumbled and tripped into the water face-first, her hands coming down right on top of Pronghorn's thighs…her bare, smooth-textured thighs, sculpted with muscle tone and flushed with the heat of intense exercise. Cheetah tried to get up, but it was like part of her didn't want to, and… 

"Cheetah!"

"Ehh? What?" 

"You can, uh, get off my legs already. And maybe stop…staring at them."

"Oh, was I…?" Cheetah stammered, trying to get her bearings, having lost her train of thought in the heat of the moment. She looked up, and realized she was staring directly into Pronghorn's dark brown eyes. The other Friend immediately looked away, giving Cheetah a chance to notice a fresh shade of red flushing to her cheeks. 

"Uh, it's not like I have choice you know," Cheetah offered as her excuse, taking a few slow steps backward in the water. "You have something against pants and skirts or something?" 

Pronghorn took a quick look down at her low-cut briefs. The same color as her hair, they exposed the full curve of her thigh up to the hip, leaving very little to the imagination.  
"No…and they're called bloomers, just you know" she answered carefully, shaking off her own fugue. "They're pretty comfortable and easy to wear. I mean, look at the freedom of movement they give you."

After trudging into ankle-deep water, Pronghorn whirled her right leg around in a slow, arcing crescent kick. Her foot passed Cheetah's head at eye level, splashing a few extra drops onto the feline Friend's cheeks. Cheetah, however, was too focused on the _interesting_ way Pronghorn's muscles flexed around the rotating joint to notice. 

"So, I don't care what I'm wearing, really, as long as it's good for running." Pronghorn concluded. "But what about you, huh? How do you get anywhere fast in that cute outfit of yours?"

"Cute? It's, uh, fine I mean!" Suddenly self-conscious, Cheetah fidgeted with hemline of her skirt. "It might not be as flexible as yours, but I can still move okay in it. It must be a running skirt, right?"

"But don't you get hot and sweaty in those leggings then?"

"Well, that's why I try not to sweat too much. Usually I don't need to, but now…hmm"

Cheetah pulled on the top of one of her elastic stockings. Still sopping wet, it snapped back onto her slender thigh with a surprisingly loud slapping sound. She wasn't carrying around much extra weight, but some of the loose flesh still jiggled.

"Not sweating? Lazy, lazy," Pronghorn playfully taunted.

"It's because I'm too fast to—"

"And those soft little slippers!" said Pronghorn, cutting her off. "They look more like socks than real shoes! Can you really run in those?"

"Aha, now those are more interesting," Cheetah responded, happy Pronghorn had noticed something she was actually proud of. "Take a closer look."

Making her way out of the water, Cheetah sat down on a dry rock and carefully propped up her left leg to expose the sole of her shoe. While the top of her shoe was made of a soft, spotted fabric and neatly decorated with a small black bow, the bottom was hard rubbery material, from which protruded an array of slightly curved spikes. Halfway between cleats and claws, they protected the sensitive paw pad area in the toe.

"They're my secret weapon. They let me really dig into the ground for when I need more power."

"Awesome…" Pronghorn said in a hushed tone. "It's a whole new level of traction."  
She stared down at her own solidly built, but flat-bottomed shoe, seeming somewhat disappointed. "Uh, can I…?"

"Sure, I guess." 

Cheetah flinched a little as she let Pronghorn poke around the ball of her foot. "Careful, they don't really retract — _oof._ You're not going to call out my unfair advantage, are you?"

"Not really. We all have our advantages, and I'm sure they all about even out in the end. The marathon race is still on — let's get out of here"

Pronghorn quickly stood up, going out of her way to help Cheetah to her feet as well. Cheetah found herself appreciating the gesture, right before she realized all her anger at being unexpectedly dunked in the lake had disappeared as well. Somewhat perplexed, she let Pronghorn lead the way back to higher ground.

"If you mean more training, I think I really am beat for the day," Cheetah said, letting some of the exhaustion creep into her voice. "Even the climb out of here is going to hurt. Ask Roadrunner or something if you want company.

"That's too bad. Roadrunner's not as fast as you, for one. She can also be a little, hm…"

"Annoying?"

"I was going to say flaky," Pronghorn clarified, "but yeah, she can be a bit grating when she's not fawning over me."

"What's up with that anyway? Roadrunner really seems to respect you for some reason."

"Oh, it's because I saved her life, of course."

Cheetah missed a step and nearly fell over. "You say that so casually…?"

Pronghorn went on. "It's true though. That's actually how we met. I was running around the trails here when I heard a Friend with a big voice calling for help. She was so loud, it took a while to actually get to where she was calling from once I did."

"Was it Coyote? When she's not chasing Roadrunner, I always hear her howling, no matter where I am in the canyon."

"Hey, it must have been! That makes sense — Coyote told me they were close friends for a while."

"Oh? Then why didn't you recognize her then?" Cheetah asked.

"Well, that was the first time I saw her too. She told me her friend was in danger, where she was, and then I just ran there as fast as I could."

"How far?" 

"Maybe something like here to the big sign by the black road?"

"Wow… not bad." Cheetah said neutrally, suppressing her astonishment. She tried not to reflect on how she'd be running at least twice that distance in the upcoming "marathon."

"And I got there just in time too," continued Pronghorn. "There was this huge Cerulean, like a giant worm with a bunch of wiggly things sticking out. It was trying to force its way into one of those really small dead-end canyons. You know the ones, right?"

Cheetah nodded

"It was too wide to get through, but it was also trapping Roadrunner in there. She was trying to fly away, but she couldn't get any momentum because of the canyon was too narrow. I think that's why she still hates going into enclosed spaces, actually."

"I've noticed. So after all that, how did you manage to beat the Cerulean? Or did you just distract it?"

"Nope, I took it out in one shot." Pronghorn answered confidently, folding her arms in a satisfied pose.

"Whaa—? With what?"

"Well, the Cerulean's eye was high up in its mouth, so I used my special move: Up Horn Attack! And I had this too, of course."

Abruptly, Pronghorn drew her weapon from the place that she drew her weapon from. It was a long polearm ending in a pair of forked horns mirroring the ones on her head. The horns curved in a sort of heart shape and were oddly decorated with a pastel blue ribbon. 

"Oh neat, so you're like Aurochs and Oryx," Cheetah said, thinking back to some of the spear-wielders she remembered from the savannah area. "That's kind of a lame attack name though, isn't it?" 

"Why? It describes what I do — attack with my horns going up. It's not like your supersonic 'roar', hm?"

"It's worked before!" cried Cheetah, cringing. "Seriously though. You used your speed to save someone. Even if I'm the fastest, I've never done anything like that."

"What, don't tell me you forgot already?" Pronghorn replied with a chuckle, tucking away her spare pare of horns. "That same day we fell into the lake, you carried me out of the way of that big rolling Cerulean. I would've been crushed otherwise."

"Well, anyone could have done that," Cheetah said quietly, surprised at her own humility. "You made up for it later when we fought all those weird clone things at the hotel, and you carried me at full speed."

"Well, where do you think I got the idea from?"

Cheetah spared a laugh of her own before continuing. _"Haha_ …no, no, I said I'd be fine, but you insisted on putting me on your shoulders. You're always thinking about helping people, and I guess… that's why you work so hard, huh?"

There was a moment of silence. Cheetah felt the end of her tail sweep across the trail dirt while she waited for Pronghorn to respond.

"It is. A skill is pointless if it's not honed and put to good use. It's why I wish you would work harder, but…"

"But what?"

"Uh, you're kind of cool too, Cheetah. Cruising around with that aloof attitude, making it all look effortless. Sometimes, I guess I want to be like that too."

It was Cheetah's turn to spend some time gathering her thoughts. 

"Does that mean you'll stop making me get up early in the mornings then?" she finally joked.

"Nope!" Pronghorn answered cheerfully. "I need someone else out there to make it fun, so if you'll do it, I'll have to keep it up!"

"Aw geez…" Cheetah yawned while stretching back her arms. "You're still trying to be my coach."

"Coach? But I just said I'm learning from you…"

"Then I guess we'll learn from each other," said Cheetah. "But what does that make us then? Contestants? Opponents?"

"Friends, I think," Pronghorn suggested, smiling warmly. Cheetah looked into her thoughtful eyes, and felt her own expression brightening in turn. 

"And we're still doing the marathon race in a week, right?" Pronghorn continued, holding out her black-gloved hand.

"Absolutely, I'll be there," Cheetah firmly declared. Her shining golden eyes met Pronghorn's, and they reaffirmed the pact with a sportsman's handshake. 

"Awesome. Now go get some rest — but be ready to do this all again tomorrow!"

Cheetah stood back and watched her rival…no, her friend run off into the distance. It wasn't just impossible to stay mad at her, she actually felt uplifted when Pronghorn was around. Because of her, Cheetah was starting to feel that there might be more to running than just being the fastest. Something beyond speed…

Eh, beyond tired, more like it. Need for sleep was the one thing that always seemed to catch up to her. Cheetah wandered off somewhere to take a very long nap. Then, just maybe, she could look forward to getting up before the sunrise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Video footage of the majestic Cheetah Chirp  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSickcDomwo  
> Cheetah's Nexon Game skill is called "supersonic roar," even though real Cheetahs actually lack the capability to roar. This actually places them outside the classification of "big cats." I sincerely hope this was a conscious "mistake" on the part of the developers, and that they literally envisioned Cheetah going around blowing up Ceruleans with an adorable squeak of death. 
> 
> Additionally, this chapter, as well as this entire story, would not exist if it wasn't for this one inspiring image I came across while browsing fanart.  
> Danbooru: 3688824


	4. Chapter 4

The following week wasn't nearly as nice (or as fun) as that curious day when Cheetah took her second unexpected swim with Pronghorn. Every morning, her friendly adversary would drag her out before sunup and spend most of the day leading her in endurance training. Through encouraging words, infectious attitude, but mostly an arsenal of taunts, Pronghorn would goad her into running longer and longer distances, and Cheetah experienced the results almost immediately. Perhaps it was just a matter of confidence, but she could really feel stronger, and was more willing to push herself when she ran up against her limits. 

Still, their practice runs had been mere fractions of the marathon. When the day of the ace came, Cheetah almost couldn't believe she was finally taking a starting place besides Pronghorn, voluntarily challenging her at a distance she didn't even know she could complete! She had just woke up, her head swarmed with doubts, and she struggled to stay calm in front of her rival, who was coolly warming up with stretches like it was any other day.

"You ready?" Pronghorn asked, not bothering to look up from her extended leg. 

"Why wouldn't I be? I was already faster, and with all that work you put me through, now I can keep up my speed as long as I like." Cheetah flipped her golden hair and straightened her back, trying to calm the anxiety at the back of her mind. "It's just twenty six…twenty six whatevers, how bad can it be?"

"Twenty-six miles! That's why we're starting here, remember?" called a higher-pitched voice from above.

"Whoa, Roadrunner — what are you doing up there?" Cheetah called. Above her, the winged friend was sitting in front of the big metal rectangle on a pole that marked their starting line, legs dangling in the air. She was happily banging against the symbol in the little blue shield design for emphasis, the one that matched the paragraph library book.

"Roadrunner's the observer." Pronghorn said. "She's going to fly ahead to the finish line at the arch and watch to make sure everything's fair."

"I can even time you with this!" Roadrunner waved her left forearm, where Cheetah just now noticed she was wearing a loose-fitting blue band. "If I could just figure out how it works…"

"What do you mean? With that thing on your wrist?" Cheetah questioned.

"Yeah, it's called a _digital watch,"_ Roadrunner stressed as she fiddled with the strange device. "I know it can keep track of laps and stuff but…agh! Nobody ever told me the instructions."

"If you're wearing it, how do you not know how it works?"

"I don't know, I just have it!"

"It's fine, Roadrunner," said Pronghorn, finishing up her stretching. "It doesn't matter how fast we go, only who gets to the end first. That's how I'm going to show Cheetah there's a lot more to speed than she thinks."

Cheetah's fear suddenly burned away as her pride flared up. _"Grr_ — what do you know about speed anyway? It's always about going as fast as you can. That's why I was outrunning you from the day I got here!"

Pronghorn was taken aback, but then looked Cheetah square in the eye with a searching glare, perhaps looking to see if the haughty feline had really changed.

"Well, we'll see if this time is any different, won't we?" she finally said, staying upbeat. "Count us down if you're ready, Roadrunner."

"It won't be any different. I'm going to win, but…"  
Cheetah's tone softened, and she reached over to give Pronghorn a pat on the back.  
"…have a nice race, and good luck."

Pronghorn broke into a smile and returned the gesture. "Thanks. You too, and do your best!"

"Alright you two, this is it!" Roadrunner cried impatiently from above. "On your marks…get set…"  
Pronghorn stooped down in a textbook track starting position, and Cheetah did her best to match it.  
"Three–two–one–go!"

As soon as she heard go, Cheetah tore away from the starting line, pounding over the road and accelerating to her maximum speed as fast as she could. It was h secret plan — she would rely on her sprint strength and build up a huge lead as soon as possible. Then, she wouldn't even see Pronghorn for the rest of the race!

"Cheetah!" Pronghorn called, already trailing behind and falling further with each step. "You have to pace yourself, remember? Slow down!"

"I am! This is the pace I chose myself!" Cheetah shouted. "Eat my dust, Pronghorn!"

Pronghorn only rolled her eyes as she continued along at a more conservative rate.

"Come on, _Pronghorn–sama!_ You're letting her get away!" 

Pronghorn looked back and saw Roadrunner following close behind her in a comfortable glide. The flying Friend glared at her imploringly while waggling her pointing finger forward.

"Don't worry, I'll catch up when she gets tired, like always. Cheetah has no idea what kind of race this really is!"

"Oh… _heheh._ If you say so, _Pronghorn–sama._ I'll see you at the finish line!"

With that remark, Roadrunner banked in flight to push off a roadside boulder, then soared up and over a steep rock face that the black road was forced to curve around. Pronghorn's path would follow the road as it twisted through a maze of mesas and buttes, while Roadrunner could take the straight route and beat both runners to the finish. It wasn't going to be an easy course, but Pronghorn knew she could handle it — she just hoped Cheetah could too. As she watched Roadrunner disappear over the horizon, she steadied her breathing, and got to work. 

~~~~~

Cheetah had no idea what kind of race this really was. After bounding through the initial stretch of road with her usual long, loping strides, she was forced to decelerate upon entering a close-walled canyon. Her calves tensed like they were about to cramp up, there was something sloshing around in her stomach, and she was starting to feel the sting of her worst enemy — runner's stitch, right under her ribs. What a nightmare, and she wasn't even halfway done! As she struggled on, Cheetah hoped that she had at least gained enough distance on her opponent for her strategy to still work…

"Ah, there you are, Cheetah," greeted Pronghorn, who then casually cruised past her at jogging pace. "You'd better not be trying to get an early lead"

In response, Cheetah just grunted under her breath and increased her pace. If there was one thing she hated more than runner's stitch, it was seeing Pronghorn's backside… _yowch!_

Cheetah grunted again, louder this time, as her side ache intensified, begging her to slow down. Pronghorn's flexible ears flicked up at the noise, and she carefully turned around, running backwards so she could speak to Cheetah while preserving her momentum. 

"Hey, tell me. Have you ever heard the story about the tortoise and the hare?"

"Ehh? No, never met those Friends," Cheetah gasped. 

"They're not Friends, they're more like…never mind. But the point of the story is that 'slow and steady wins the race'."

"I don't get it. How can going slow help you win?"

"Do you remember what I said about pacing yourself? In this type of race, you've got to conserve your energy and save some of it for the end."

"Yeah, but it's dumb. There's no point if I can't use my max speed. It's not — _ack_ — fair!"

Cheetah winced as the pain in her side flared up again. She loved winning races by sprinting in bursts, but Pronghorn was right. Going into overdrive wasn't going to work here.

"It's not unfair, it's just a different mindset. Here,"  
Pronghorn swerved around to jog parallel to Cheetah, who was huffing and puffing just to stay upright.  
"First, keep your breathing even. Inhale through your nose, it's easier on your lungs. And don't be afraid to slow down or even walk if you have to. It's a long race."

There was something nurturing and trusting in the tone of Pronghorn's coaching, and Cheetah found herself slowing to a trot. Pronghorn matched the gentler pace, and together, the two focused on getting into a rhythm of even breaths. As Cheetah calmed down and paid attention to her body instead of fighting it, her insides stopped churning. Even the stitch in her side gradually unknotted itself.

"That does…feel better. Thanks" Cheetah said, no longer wincing at each breath. She took a few more moments to collect herself, then suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, wait a minute! You're not sandbagging on me, are you?"

Pronghorn was running backwards again, barely even breaking a sweat. It was still early in the morning and cooler, but Cheetah was already red in the face from her initial breakaway efforts.

"Of course not! I just wanted to check on you…and make sure you finish the race, right?"

"I'll finish the race! This is still a real competition, so don't go easy on me!" 

Finding her confidence again, and a second wind, Cheetah accelerated ahead of Pronghorn. Not as quickly as she would have liked, but…she might as well save some of her real speed for the end. 

"I won't — it would be a waste of my skill too!" Pronghorn asserted as she got back to her usual pace. Cheetah craned her neck back at her, and the two shared a smile for a brief second. 

Moving forward, they changed leads a few times, neither attempting to press an advantage. Cheetah still thought they were moving too slow, but at least knew she could keep this up for a while longer. And even though neither runner was at their top speed, their velocity was still reducing the faded yellow marks on the black road a pale blur. Oncoming rocks and debris in their path flew by in seconds. The pair would probably be pleased to know they were casually smashing all recorded human speed records, from when there were still humans to set and record them. 

~~~~~

Cheetah was trying to mentally calculate what fraction of the race was over when she heard a familiar howl. 

_"AWOOOO!"_

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Coyote bound down a pile of loose rocks and join in the race. She wedged herself right between her and Pronghorn, and asked excitedly,"Yo, what's up? Where y'all runnin' to this time?"

"The arch," answered Pronghorn. "It's a race to the finish!"

"So it's serious this time? Whoa!" Coyote realized that she was being outran, and took in a series of short breaths as she struggled to keep up. "I mean geez! Ya'll goin' to keep this up all the way there?"

"Guess so. We've been training," Pronghorn said, her own breathing steady.

"That's crazy somethin'. So I bet Roadrunner's watchin' from some'ere?"

"Yeah, she'll be waiting at the end, making sure there's no funny business going on in the last stretch," Cheetah replied, only realizing her mistake when Pronghorn began glaring.

"Ha! F she's there, I'll set 'nother trap! But then' you'll warn 'er… _grrr_ …" Coyote traded disapproving looks with Pronghorn, then exclaimed. "I'll just have to get'ere first!"

Pronghorn exhaled extra hard on her next breath. _"Pffft_ — so you're saying you want to beat us in race?"

Cheetah grinned in amusement, adding, "No offense, but you're not exactly in our speed class. How are you going to do that?"

"You jerks! Jus' wait, I'll be back — with my secret weapon!"

Coyote suddenly swerved off the black road, making a detour for a patch of bushes at the start of a long straightway. Cheetah mouthed "secret weapon" to Pronghorn, and hoped she'd share her flippant smirk. Pronghorn only shrugged wordlessly, turning around to run backwards so she could see what Coyote was actually doing. A few moments passed, but just when she was about to count canine Friend out, Cheetah saw Pronghorn's eyes go wide and heard a strange, loud hissing sound.

"Cheetah, watch out!"

Without warning, Pronghorn shoved Cheetah to the side, nearly pushing her off the road. She got her balance just in time to see a huge object streak by at a ludicrous speed. It was a long metal tube with a point at one end. The other end was spitting out fire, which seemed to be propelling it forward so quickly it flew above the ground. And Coyote was riding it, hugging its shaft while her black jacket flapped wildly in the wind.

_"AWOOOOOooooooo!!"_

The runners skidded to a halt, flabbergasted and not sure how to proceed.

"Pronghorn, what the heck is that!?" 

"I don't know, but it's making me rethink the meaning of speed…"

"Forget about that, I think she's aiming it at us!"

Coyote, in her tenuous grip on the contraption, had taken a corner too wide up ahead and was now circling back. 

"Get ready to…dodge!" Cheetah shouted, strafing right as Coyote made a second pass. 

"It's called…a rocket!" Coyote yelled back to the pair, making herself heard above the scream of her invention's exhaust. 

"Yup, she's nuts." Cheetah observed dryly after she got up. Nervously, she fiddled with the trail of her hair. "Did I get singed at all? I think I smell something burning."

"You're fine. Unless you're upset that you're not the fastest thing in the universe after all?"

"That thing she's on doesn't count. In fact, I say…" Cheetah shuffled back toward the road, then took off in a burst of speed. "…the race is still on!"

"Hey, no head starts!" Pronghorn called, catching up to Cheetah in a few seconds, "But really, this is fine?"

"What, that rocket's nothing next to that big yellow Cerulean last race, is it?"

"Yeah, but you can't say anyone won that time, so…"

"Huh? I totally won that one by carrying you!"

"Ugh, That doesn't mean — look out again!"

Too busy bickering, neither runner had noticed Coyote swinging around for a second attempt up the straightway. With no time to move out of the way, Pronghorn reacted on instinct and leaped into the air, doing a sort of jumping jack as the rocket passed underneath her legs. Cheetah did the opposite, dropping low to the ground and performing a stride on all fours before springing up again. Both hit the ground running without missing a step.

"Smooth moves," Cheetah commented.

"Uh, you too." Pronghorn brushed the back of her head while she watched Coyote approach the turn again. She seemed to corner too sharply, and the rocket wobbled, then pitched forward in an uncontrollable crash course. It slammed into the wall of the next canyon with a huge boom, causing a small explosion followed by shower of miscellaneous metal debris. 

As they ran by, Pronghorn hesitantly asked, "Do you think she's okay, or…"

"I am _OKAY!"_ Coyote bellowed, her voice a little scratchier, but otherwise sounding perfectly unphased. 

"Looks like she knows what she's doing…I think." Cheetah spared a passing glance at Coyote's crash site, but focused on regaining her rhythm. 

"I hope so… but we're okay!" Pronghorn said heartily. "Ready to finish this, Cheetah?" 

"Ready to lose?" Cheetah jibed in turn.

"Not when if I can take you down a peg!" Pronghorn looked slightly taken aback, but didn't let the remark deflate her melodrama. "I won't hold back. Cheetah, your prideful reign ends here!"

"Not today it won't!" Cheetah fired back. No matter what, she wasn't going to lose this. Nothing would stop her from being the fastest, not now, not ever!

~~~~~

_Not ever…Not ever…_ echoed though Cheetah's head. How long had the race been going on now? Less than an hour, or the entire morning? Either way, what it felt like is that she had been running for days on end. It was like a trance, where her mind was blank except for the action of putting one foot ahead of another. Sometimes, she would be following behind Pronghorn, focusing on the bobbing of her bangs. Other times, Pronghorn wouldn't be there, meaning she must be ahead. Either way, the sound of a second set of footsteps was never far. Pronghorn was sticking with her until the end. 

Cheetah hoped she would make it. There was a new sort of tension in her body now, a deeper ache that seeped into the depth of her muscles. The dry heat from the midmorning sun wasn't helping either. She wasn't struggling to breathe or keep moving, but still — every cell in her body was crying out for her to stop and rest. Not that she was going to. _Not ever…_

A final corner around a bluff, and Cheetah let out a strangled cry of joy. There it was, the giant arch marking the finish! At the end of a curving stone ridge, the natural arch seemed precariously balanced, one of its pillars looking more delicate than the other. The first time she saw it, some months ago, Cheetah's impression had been of a pair of legs in loose pants, topped by a flat slab for a belt. That's where she saw a figure hovering now, probably Roadrunner, but where was Pronghorn?

There, running three lengths ahead on a narrow ledge below her, bounding up and over the resting boulders in her way like they were a staircase. Just how did she have that energy left!? Calling on her own reserves, Cheetah dropped into a sprint and tried to close the distance with her burst speed. And in just a few seconds, she was already three steps ahead of Pronghorn! But then there was an explosion of pain, and she almost doubled over. Not her side stitch again! 

Cheetah heard a sharp grunt, and knew her rival was coming up behind her, ready to pass her for the final time. It wasn't fair. She was the fastest thing in the whole world, but was about to be taken down by a dumb body ache. Pronghorn would win because Cheetah didn't get the chance to use her top speed, and that was the end of everything. She'd be a second-rate challenger and everyone would make fun of her…and then maybe Pronghorn would leave her behind.

She had to do something, now. The trail was narrowing to single file, Pronghorn was about to overtake her from the left, and after a sharp turn, there was a thorny bush growing on the right. The wide-open final stretch was just beyond.

Without thinking, almost absentmindedly, Cheetah grabbed the bush and pulled it back. She released it an instant later, and it smacked into Pronghorn, just as she came around the blind corner. Clotheslined out of nowhere, Pronghorn fell dumbly on her back and slid down the ledge, only stopping when she hit another thorn bush. 

Cheetah didn't notice though. She was too busy straggling up to the flat area flanking the immense stone arch. Still clutching her side, she half-jogged, half-limped, but mostly just walked the rest of the way in a sort of stupor. When she passed through the unevenly shaped pillars, it took all of her willpower just to keep from collapsing. Did she…win?

"And the winner is…Cheetah. Hmph, figures," scoffed Roadrunner, swooping down on her with an unenthused pout. 

Cheetah opened her mouth to answer, but just ended up breathing heavily, her lungs greedy for air. 

"What, expecting more of a fanfare? You already though you would win, right?"

"Well, maybe. It'd be…nice," Cheetah answered. 

She tried to tell herself she was victorious, that she had beat Pronghorn once and for all — and in the race her rival was best suited for, no less! But all she felt was a sort of disbelief, a hollowness. And of course, how tired she was.

"Well you should have made it cooler then!" Roadrunner jabbered on, oblivious. "Like dashing to the end, neck and neck, so you wouldn't know who won until the last moment. But now, you look too beat-up for all that."

"Well… _hah_ …you got that right."

"Pronghorn could have kept up it until the end, I know she could! Where is she anyway?"

"Right here." Standing stoically, Pronghorn called up to Roadrunner and Cheetah from the incline below. Besides some dirt and brambles dusting her body and a fresh scrape on her knee, she looked basically unharmed.

_"Pronghorn–sama!"_ cried Roadrunner. She immediately glided down to help her up to the base of the arch. "What happened? Did you fall? You never fall. Did something go wrong? Was there any funny business…?"

After Pronghorn was on her feet, Roadrunner turned to stare at Cheetah, who scrambled to respond. "Uh, no. Did you see anything, I mean? I don't know what happened to her."

"I didn't see anything either after you went behind the ridge. Are you _sure?"_

"I just lost track of her at some point, I swear. But I wasn't looking back."

"That's too bad" Pronghorn interjected. "It would have been _nice_ if you did see what happened, Cheetah."

"Yeah, show some sportsmanship!" Roadrunner added.

"Well whatever happened, it was an accident, okay?" Cheetah claimed, trying to project her usual confidence. "If someone falls on their own, it was a matter of their own skill. I'm still the rightful winner. So, uh, good race?"

Cheetah extended her arm, finally forcing herself to meet Pronghorn's eyes. Surprisingly, the other runner wasn't glaring daggers. Instead, her eyes were just sort of…hard. Exasperation? Disbelief?. Refusing to shake Cheetah's hand, she slumped down onto the jagged rock and tucked her legs close to her body. Then, she covered the graze on her knee with her sleeve and just sat there, breathing heavily. Cheetah had never seen her look so tired.

A moment of silence passed, and Pronghorn broke the silence, "The meaning of speed. You still don't get it." 

"What? Of course I get it!" Cheetah said reflexively. "Speed's about being fast, faster than anything else. I'm faster, so I won the race by a longshot. Admit it already!"

"It doesn't _matter_ who won!" Pronghorn shouted furiously while springing back to her feet. "We were supposed to cross the finish _together!"_

"Together…?" Cheetah muttered, unconsciously taking a step back. 

"We trained together, rested together, got stronger together!— but I guess none of that matters to you."

"But…it was a race to win, and…" Cheetah was at a loss for words. Whatever she had pictured after winning, it wasn't this. "I'll be at the lake later…"

"Forget it. I'm cooling off alone. Or, with my real friend at least. Come on, Roadrunner."

Roadrunner had been flitting back and forth anxiously, not sure of what to make of the situation. Upon Pronghorn's command, she straightened up and followed her mentor down the trail, but not before sticking her tongue out at Cheetah and flashing a judgmental glare. 

Cheetah didn't try to stop them. Her turn to collapse over in a heap, she splayed out her body face-up under the arch and took some deep breaths. Staring up at the band of striated orange rock dividing the vivid blue sky, she at last let her body relax. Maybe now, she could try and figure out just how she had screwed up her victory so badly. 

~~~

Some time later, Cheetah heard a familiar raspy voice call up from the trail and interrupt her brooding. 

_AWOOOO–OUGH Cough cough…_ Found ya again, Roadrunner! There's no escape from me, so get down 'ere and—whoa!" 

Cheetah was going to ignore the ranting and let her pass by, until the other Friend tripped right over her prone body. The offender scrabbled right back to her feet, and Cheetah found herself looking up into the face a disheveled, slightly singed Coyote. 

"Oh, you again? Why're ya' still here? And where's Roadrunner? Ya' said she'd be here!"

Feeling too lethargic to get up, Cheetah answered from the ground. _"Sigh—_ can you cool it down already? Roadrunner already left with Pronghorn, and I don't know where to."

"Dang. There goes t'day then. With my secret weapon, I thought fo'sure…"  
Coyote's ears drooped, and she let herself flop down in the shade beneath the arch. Cheetah, a length away and with her head turned around, barely noticed.

"Yer' pretty down'n the dumps." Coyote continued lazily. "D'ya lose that race, or whatever?"

"No, I…I won, actually." 

"Huh? Why aren't you runnin' around partyin' then? Ya' worked for days on this, didn'tcha?"

"Yeah, but I accidently…I didn't…It's complicated, okay?"

"It's a race, it ain't complicated. Fastest one wins, right?"

"Well maybe there are other reasons…other things that can happen?" Cheetah answered hesitantly. 

"But ya' won, and that's t'whole point! It's just a dumb race."

"It wasn't a dumb race! Gah, what do you know? You're just another screw–up."

"Screw up!?" Coyote was on her feet again, angrily shaking the lingering dust and soot off her jacket. "I'm no screw-up! Ta' rocket worked perfectly, din't it? Even made me faster'n you, so ha!"

_"Hahh…_ maybe." Cheetah's recollection of what actually happened during the race was fuzzy for some reason. "But you really can't say you're the fastest if you can't control it."

"You two yahoos got in the way!"

"And you were trying to run us over!"

"I just wanted t'get to Roadrunner, an' there was only one path, and…agghhh!" Coyote gesticulated violently before taking a deep breath. Then, calmer, she muttered to Cheetah, "'M sorry, 'kay?"

"It's fine, really," Cheetah replied nonchalantly, too tired to be rattled. "And it was pretty cool while it lasted."

"Y'think so?"

"Yeah, really! I mean, I didn't even know Friends could do stuff like that. Where did you get it from?"

"Built it myself!" Coyote stood proud, hands on her hips.

"You're kidding. With what? There's nothing but dust and sand out here."

"I get some 'elp from the ACME catalog. They've got lotsa' neat stuff, look!"

Cheetah abruptly found herself nose-deep in a thick ream of paper that Coyote had whipped out from…somewhere. She tried to make something out of the intricate matrix of ropes on pulleys depicted on the page, but it just made her head spin. With a groan, she rolled over to her other side to look away.

Coyote snickered. "Heh, knew ya' wouldn't get it." 

"Whatever. Why do you need all that stuff for Roadrunner anyway? She's annoying, but that's pretty much it. If you asked nicely, I'm sure she'd talk to you."

"Not after what happened. She's always runnin' away from people. 'S why I have ta' catch her, and make her."

"She runs away when she feels guilty, huh?" Cheetah sat up, freshly intrigued by Coyote's story. "So what did happen? One of your 'old tricks'?"

Coyote answered rapidly, her voice surly. "Yeah s'was a trick, but what'sit ta' you? Ya' only care about winnin' and goin' fast. All ya' want is to feel better'n me!"

Cheetah flinched, but her curiosity was still piqued. "Well I just messed up my race, big time. So you can tell me — from one loser to another, okay?" She offered a sheepish smile, which seemed to finally make Coyote settle down a little. Grumbling, the canine Friend sat down by one of the arch's stony pillars.

"Fine. So it did start wit' a race — jus' 'bout the only thing people do 'round here, I guess. Forget how't came up, but we wanted ta' see who could get to the top'f one of them tall chimney rock things."

"The big flat ones?"

"Sure. So Roadunner says she'll stay grounded ta' make it fair. Not like I can fly 'round like she can."

"Unless you have a rocket…"

"Oh, shut up 'bout that already! Anyway, I'm ahead'f her and clawin' up this big boulder. I get t'the top and _whoosh,_ 'ere she is, comin' up the other side. I hear her flapping an' everything!"

"So she used her wings anyway."

"She mus've! It was a sheer drop on ta' other side, but I yell an' she don't stop. I chase 'er all the way to the top, an' I bet she did it again 'cause she's up there some five minutes 'head o' me. Just sittin' there, smilin' like nothin's wrong."

"I'll bet she was." Cheetah said, recalling how _infuriating_ that zany bird's grin could be. "So did you call her out, or what?"

"Tried, told 'er I saw her flyin' around, an' she only won by cheatin'. But she says 'did you really see me, 'n some other cheeky gab, an' we get'n this huge argument. Back an' forth 'bout who did what, if my _claws_ are better then 'er _feathers,_ an' other junk like that."

Cheetah felt a pang of indignation. "But you told her she didn't really win, right? That by your challenge, you were still faster, and Roadrunner didn't prove anything."

"Gyrrh! I did'n care who was faster! I jus' wanted my _friend_ ta' admit she did me wrong! But she cared 'bout some stupid contest more, 'n now she doen't even want ta' talk to me. So I've got ta' keep runnin' around jus' to get my friend back and… _arrrghh!"_

Coyote staggered around the archway, her voice growing louder and louder again as she punctuated her shouts with swipes of her paws. Momentarily ignored, Cheetah stood up and backed away slowly, feeling how quickly her heart was sinking.

"You mean you don't care…it didn't matter who won?" Cheetah said cautiously, mostly to herself.

"Eh? 'Course not. _Cough…_ sorry 'bout that." Suddenly cordial again, the mercurial Friend cleared her throat and answered. "Sometimes we jus' liked ta' run places and try stuff, eh? We made it a race ta' be more fun. Was more 'bout just runn' together…not'n many in our speed class, y'know?"

"Oh..really…" Cheetah trailed off, thinking back to Pronghorn. All those early morning wake–up calls, all that begging for races, and all those bright smiles under her taunts, suddenly made more sense. Even the marathon was nothing more than a way for her to keep her friend interested. Or at least, someone who _should've_ been her friend. 

"Yeah, didn' think you'd really get it," Coyote responded, oblivious. "But thanks fer' listenin' anyway. Felt good t'get that off my chest, y'know? _AWOOOOO!"_

"Uh, yeah, you're welcome." Cheetah thought quickly, already coming up with a plan to make things right. "So… would you mind helping me with something? Like, tomorrow?"

"Ha, sure. Yer' not too bad once ya' slow down a little, eh?" Coyote stepped over to elbow a little into Cheetah's side, which she took begrudgingly. "What about?"

"Um, it's about Pronghorn. Something tells me I might need some help finding her early next morning."

"Don't she usually come to you? I mean, what'd ya' do to 'er to…oh…"

Realization dawned on Coyote as she read the guilt on Cheetah's face. "…aw don' tell me ya' screwed up yer race by cheatin' too! Y'all are hopeless!"

"Please?" Cheetah pleaded. "I'll do anything…wait. If you still want to catch Roadrunner, you could use someone fast, right?"

"Ya' think you can catch 'er, eh? Well, 'f you're on my side, 'n maybe I could…hm…"

"Exactly!" For the first time since the end of the race, Cheetah's tail came out from between her legs and started twitching excitedly.  
"With your plan, and my speed, we could come up with a way to bring everyone together!"

"Ha, I reckon we can! But ya' think everyone's gonna listen?"

"Well, I don't know about Roadrunner, but I bet I know how Pronghorn thinks by now…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Pronghorn's initial reaction at the end of the race, I was thinking a little bit of this image:  
> Danbooru 3743539
> 
> Also, I highly recommend everyone takes a look at Arches National Park in Arizona — the place literally looks like the backdrop of a Wile E Coyote cartoon.


	5. Chapter 5

Pronghorn awoke to the warm rays of the sunrise…wait, that wasn't right. She was having a dream, where the sunlight was harsh, but she was falling down into a dark hole. And no matter how much she moved her legs, she wasn't going anywhere. So she reached out for help, but nobody would take her hand. Yet, they were still calling her name. _Pronghorn…Pronghorn…_

_"Pronghooooorn!"_

Her brown eyes shot open, for real this time, and Pronghorn realized the sun hadn't actually risen yet. She rolled around underneath her favorite sleeping tree, struggling to shake off her grogginess and figure out who kept calling out…

"Pronghorn! You're awake!"

It was coming from right in front of her. Pronghorn jolted back in surprise, seeing it was Cheetah standing in front of her, arms akimbo and looking as alert and fit as ever.

"Hm? What are you doing? I'm supposed…to wake up you… for our training?" Cheetah had never woken up earlier than her — something was very strange...

"Sure, that's usually your job, but sometimes my body just says I have to run. Doesn't matter what time it is. You get like that too, right?"

"I guess so…" Pronghorn stood up. She may have been awake for less than a minute, but her ingrained habits were indeed making her itching to jog off somewhere. It was like she couldn't think clearly otherwise.

"Awesome, we can make it a race to the watering hole again. I'll set the pace, okay?" Cheetah beamed. Her smile shone in the starlight, and she beckoned with a playful twitch of her tail. 

"A race? Are you sure? Wait…" Rubbing her eyes, Pronghorn dispelled the last of her drowsiness, and the events of yesterday came flooding back. The end of the marathon, falling over in the last legs — and she remembered whose arm pulled on that bush. Eyes wide open, she stared at Cheetah in a sort of disbelief.

"Actually…no thanks. If you won that marathon, then you know you're going to win this too, don't you?"

"Ah! Well, it doesn't have to be about winning." Cheetah added quickly. "It can be a fun race, and we'll just… stick together!"

Pronghorn looked at Cheetah like she had grown a third leg. "Nope, no point. Forget about it. I'm just not in the mood." She turned her back to the other Friend and stretched her arms out, trying to seem casual.

In a flash, Cheetah darted around her rival's side and caught her eye again. "Oh, come on Pronghorn, you're always in the mood to run. It's not about that silly marathon, is it?"

"And what if it is?"

"Then…it's like what you said that one time. Every day's a fresh start!" Slightly stooped, Cheetah looked up to Pronghorn with her hands clasped. As the cat girl's eyes gleamed in the first rays of the sunrise, Pronghorn crossed, then uncrossed her arms. 

"I'll agree with that, but you should still go running alone," she said sternly. "If it's the morning, I need to have some water, warm up my legs…"

"Ha! I knew you'd say that." Cheetah exclaimed with a little too much excitement. "Here — I got it covered."

Cheetah retreated to get something from the shadow of a rock, returning with a polished wooden bowl filled with water. Eyed widening a little, Pronghorn accepted it. 

"Ah, it's the same one… the one Coyote was carrying," Pronghorn said between drinking and splashing her face. "So…you really are serious then?"

Cheetah swallowed, then put on her trademark smirk. "Yeah…I'm serious this time."

"Alright then, I'll give you a chance — let's go" Pronghorn took a final splash of water, leaned over to touch both her shoe tips, and then the pair were off again. 

Bounding effortlessly over the chill desert sand, Pronghorn let her mind go blank, focusing on nothing but the power of her body and the weight of her steps. It wasn't far to the watering hole, so she was still careful to keep an eye on her feline partner, just in case she bolted ahead. But true to her word, Cheetah was jogging at a leisurely pace, staying ahead at a safe distance without leaving her behind. 

"Hey, let's go this way!" 

From the lead, Cheetah abruptly changed directions and started down a side trail. Looking ahead, Pronghorn saw it led away from their destination and up alongside a rock face.

"What, you're not taking the fastest route?" Pronghorn shouted. Definitely confused now, she kept tailing Cheetah. 

"Shaking it up a little," Cheetah replied. "This way is longer, but I'm sure you can handle it."

"You bet I can!" Lost in the moment, Pronghorn increased her pace until she was shoulder to shoulder with her rival again.

"Good, because here's… the true meaning of speed!"

Pronghorn groaned a little as she watched Cheetah break into a sprint. Typical. But there was a sharp switchback turn up ahead, so how could she hold it? Pronghorn flinched as she watched her rival nearly run off the cliff edge, only saving herself by jumping onto a dead tree at the last moment. Cheetah ran up straight up the tree's side, claws digging deep into the old wood, before transferring her momentum into a backwards flip. With a midair twist, she flew right over Pronghorn's head as she rounded the curve, landing feet first and flying forward without missing a beat. If Pronghorn had blinked, she probably would have missed it. 

"Not bad for this early, huh?" Cheetah boasted to her rival. 

"Wow…I mean, if you just came this way to show off, I'm not impressed"

"Eh…not exactly…hey, heads up, it's your turn!"

Ahead of them, the trail ended at a chaotic landfall of sharp-edged stone, which Cheetah leaped into without hesitation. Forced into alertness, Pronghorn deftly navigated the expanse, using powerful jumps that required her to think a few steps ahead. 

Slamming down next to Cheetah on a long, flatter rock, she shouted, "again, why are we out this way?"

"You'll see. Hey Roadrunner!"

Pronghorn followed Cheetah's gaze up to a lonely tree anchored in the center of the boulder field. At the top, through the weak light, she noticed a hint of a light blue shirt and dark feathers. Roadrunner really came all the way out here to sleep? No wonder Pronghorn could never find her in the mornings.

"Ugghhh, it's too early. What the hell are you crazies doing down there!?" Roadrunner called down from her perch, sounding noticeably crabbier than her usual bubbly self.

"Racing to the watering hole." Cheetah shouted back as she passed the tree. "Wanna join in?" 

"No! I'm going back to sleep, right now!"

"You sure? For breakfast…we've got some of this."

Jogging backwards so she could make sure Roadrunner could see it, Cheetah waved something brown and slightly floppy around in the air.

"You've got more toast!?" was the enthusiastic reply.  
"Then give it here…hey! Come back!"

"You're going to have to catch us first!" Cheetah continued. "We'll beat you there, bye!"

"I don't think so!" Roadrunner returned as she glided down to ground level. But by that point, Cheetah and Pronghorn were already far off in another burst of speed.

"Is Roadrunner part of the 'fresh start' too?" Pronghorn ventured to ask after the two cleared the crags. "You know she hates being woken up like this."

A sloping sand wash came up, which Cheetah hopped into without stopping. "Yeah sort of," she answered, sliding down the expanse along her side. "Just focus on the race, okay?" 

Pronghorn decided to take the more conventional route, skipping down the wash on more solid ground using bounding strides.  
"If it's really a race, then why are you showing off all of a sudden? Don't you just want to win?"

"I'm just…trying to keep you interested! You said I had a cool style, right?" Cheetah fell back, drawing in closer, and Pronghorn watched a slight flush of red appear on her face — a flush that didn't seem part of their mutual exertion.

"But you're right, _ahnh,_ I'm getting tired from all those tricks now," the cat girl continued, incongruously yawning and stretching out her arms mid-run. "I might not make it to the end now."

"You're kidding," Pronghorn said flatly. "We've been out here what, five, ten minutes—"

"No really, I can feel it, I'm _sloooowing_ down" Cheetah said as she fell back into a trot. "This is your chance — you can beat me."

"So now _you're_ sandbagging on _me?_ Is how you try and make up—"

"I never hold back!" Cheetah interrupted. "At least…without a reason…"

"No rival worth my time should—"

_"TOOOOAAASSSTT!!"_ came a long, high-pitched cry from not too far behind them.

"Uh, let's just run to where we need to go?" Cheetah suggested. 

"Agreed." 

The pair renewed their pace and sped away from Roadrunner, the watering hole less than a minute away. Still, Cheetah never bolted into a sprint, weaving and diving around Pronghorn like she would rather dance with her than really race. A little irritated, but mostly just befuddled, Pronghorn simply stepped up her speed, almost giving Cheetah a real run for her money. And when it came time to tag the rusted-out sign that marked the spring itself, her rival did make a break for it — but not before Pronghorn hit it first with one last push. The corroded metal made a loud clang as the two runners settled down to rest.

"So — congratulations," Cheetah said.

"On what?"

"On winning! You know what that means, right?"

"It means I got here first?" Pronghorn said distractedly, focusing more on getting her breathing under control. "It was just some early exercise."

"What? That doesn't matter!" Cheetah cried, still as jumpy as when the day began. _"I'm_ the fastest Friend around, so if you beat me, then that has to me make you the fastest now."

"What, just like that?"

"Yup—" Cheetah took a deep breath and let out a sigh. "—just like that."

_"Pfft-ha"_ Pronghorn chuckled. "Come on, you're joking. I wanted to take down that pride of yours in a real contest, not like this. Where's the real Cheetah, huh?"

Cheetah winced and looked down to the ground, where her tail was laying flat. When she returned the gaze, her expression was anxious, pleading. 

"So you're still serious." Pronghorn replied sympathetically.

"I'm trying…"

"In that case, then—"  
Pronghorn stood up to her full height, finally feeling ready to butt heads with the problem.  
"—if you think this makes up for what happened yesterday…"

"TOAST!" 

With one final yelp, Roadrunner came sailing over to the spring and glomped against Cheetah, cutting off Pronghorn's remark. Furiously, she patted down the feline Friend, trying to ferret out where she had hidden her snack.

_"Cheeeetah,_ why're you trying to have breakfast without me?" she whined. "Aren't you going to share?"

"Yeah I'm sharing, just give me some room." With a heave, Cheetah managed to throw off Roadrunner long enough to find the slice of toast again. It looked a little folded-up and mangled, and one of the corners was now missing, but Roadrunner snatched it away in an instant.

"Yeah, don't worry," Cheetah said to Pronghorn, unphased by the exchange. "I was going to give you a real apology too. So—"  
She took another breath, then got down on one knee.  
"—I'm sorry for pushing you off balance during the marathon race. It was dumb, I wasn't thinking, and you could've gotten really hurt, all just because I wanted to beat you. You should've won that race, but I was afraid that if you did…"  
Cheetah stumbled in her words a little, surprised she was admitting this part.  
"…you'd leave me behind…you'd wouldn't want to run against me anymore, and these last few days…"

As Cheetah trailed off, Pronghorn stepped forward, placing her hand on her rival's shoulder. "Cheetah, I wouldn't leave you behind. If you ever got too slow — not like that would ever happen, I mean…"  
Awkwardly, Pronghorn took an aside glance, her lingering indignation melting away.  
"…if you fell behind, I would help you catch up again. We'd keep training together until we're both stronger. That's the meaning of speed. What good is it—"

"—if you can't help anyone else," Cheetah finished.

"There you go!" Pronghorn said, passing Cheetah a warm smile. She pulled her friend to her feet, adding, "I'm surprised, but I think you do get it after all."

"Took me long enough, huh?" Cheetah replied, casually flipping her hair back while feeling her heart pound. Pronghorn offered an open palm, and the two squeezed each other's arms in sportsman's greeting, like nothing had ever gone wrong. 

"I'm just glad you're back so soon. It was going to get boring out there as the _fastest Friend_ with nobody to race with," Pronghorn said. 

"Yeah, well—" Cheetah bit back a retort, not sure if she had just been complimented or insulted. Pronghorn, always getting underneath her guard at the worst time…

"I had someone else help me too," she remember to say. "Someone who also knows the meaning of speed, so I hope we were all listening."

Cheetah glanced over a Roadrunner, who, amazingly, had stopped nibbling on her toast to take in the rare spectacle of Cheetah showing some humility. When the sound of some familiar paws sounded over the ridge though, she started to shrink back.

_"AWOOOO!"_

"Coyote!" Roadrunner shouted as the loudmouthed Friend crashed into the gathering. The bird girl tensed up to flee, but a comment from Pronghorn kept her put.

"She has something to do with this?"

"Y'all bet I've got somethin' to do with this. I'm here for my apology too, Roadrunner!"

Overwhelmed, Roadrunner answered, "Wait, just wait a minute!"

"I ain't waitin' for no tricks! Don't even think of running away now…" Coyote said, punctuating her words with a growl. 

"Forget that — _Pronghorn-sama!_ Why didn't you tell me Cheetah did that nasty thing yesterday. I was supposed to look out for you. If she hurt you, then I'll…I'll…"

Roadrunner made a show of standing eye-to-eye to Cheetah, making up for the height distance with a hover from her wings. 

"Roadrunner, I wasn't really hurt," said Pronghorn. "I just wanted time for everyone to think things through. And maybe…maybe I knew she'd come around her own."  
Stepping up from behind, Pronghorn shooed Roadrunner off and gave Cheetah a solid pat on the back.  
"She's pretty quick at learning, don't you think?"

Cheetah's face immediately went red in an awkward blush, but she still managed to keep a straight face. "See Roadrunner, it's not too bad, saying you're sorry," she said. "So are you going to talk to Coyote already?"

"Ugh — but I didn't do anything!" Roadrunner asserted.

Coyote let out another growl, and Cheetah corrected her. "Come on, Coyote told me. She knows what happened."

"Something did happen?" Pronghorn asked Roadrunner. "Coyote's not just chasing you around for no reason?"

"It was nothing, really. I don't even remember it, ha…"  
Roadrunner tried laughing it off, but was withering under the twin glares of her old friend and new mentor. 

"Come on, say it already!" Coyote barked. "Say you—hey!"

"Give her a chance…"

Coyote was about to pounce again, but was cut off by Cheetah grabbing her arm. She flinched at the sudden contact, but then settled down once she saw Pronghorn giving Roadrunner her best authoritative stare. 

"Alright, alright already!" the feathered Friend gave in. "If the spotted stuck-up can do it, I can too."

"What did you just…" Cheetah muttered, without anyone hearing. 

"I cheated. I was racing Coyote up a rock hill and used my wings when I wasn't supposed to. I wanted to get there first and surprise her, but I guess she saw and got all mad. But that was a long time ago!"

"And its' still gettin' me all riled up!" Coyote added.

"But why? You never cared who won!"

"An' I still don't. But you never said ya' did wrong, so I couldn't get ya' back. Ain't no fun being pranked if ya' can't get the other Friend back."

"I would've let—"

"But ya' ran off," Coyote interrupted. 

You were so mad though. It was almost scary."  
Roadrunner stopped, and sniffled a little.  
"But…if you're still thinking about it…then I guess I'm sorry."

"Ha — well I ain't as mad today. 'Specially if I can have my partner again."

"So…you want to hang out again?"

"Heck yeah!" Coyote shouted. "'Course, I'll still have to get you back first. Ya' owe me one still, like I said."

Reflexively, Roadrunner flapped up a few feet off the ground, a nervous smile on her face. Warily, she asked "What do you want then? Another race…?"

"Hmm…ya' know, I was just testing out a new contraption from the catalog. You'll like it, it goes 'real fast, fas'r than Cheetah here."

"Faster than Cheetah?" Intrigued, Roadrunner floated closer.

"Yeah, yer gonna love it! C'mere," Coyote leaped up, and Roadrunner let herself be wrestled into her grip "It's called a 'rocket,' and you get to ride it."

"Sounds awesome!" Roadrunner exclaimed as her friend led her away from the spring. Cheetah and Pronghorn shared an uneasy glance. 

"Should we tell her, or will she be fine" asked the latter. 

"When I talked to Coyote after the marathon, she only had some her hair singed off. So I think it's okay…" Cheetah replied. 

"And she could always just bail by flying off…"

"Right! Glad that worked out for them." Cheetah spun on her heels, turning to Pronghorn. "So, now what?"

"Oh? So you're ready for your next challenge already?"

"I'm asking as a friend, not just your rival."

"Ah, sorry. Going to have to get used to being nicer then, heh" Pronghorn chuckled, dropping the bravado from her voice. "It's still too early for Boss to show up, so we could…run around some more?"

"A chance to run with the _fastest_ Friend in the park, huh?" Cheetah responded, eying Pronghorn with a smirk. "Guess I can't pass that up."

"Alright then, let's go!" said Pronghorn, taking off into the sands. "You won't catch up this time."

"Sure I will," said Cheetah, easily keeping pace. "I let you have that title, just like you said."

"Yeah, but I'm going to hang on to it. We'll keep up our training, do a marathon a week,"

"One a week..!" Cheetah stammered. "You're crazy — I'm going to have to get you started on sprints then."

"I'm not afraid of sprints. Not like you're afraid of distance running…"

"Is that a deal then?"

"Heck yeah!"

Their rivalry and comradery stronger than ever, the banter of two fast friends echoed over the canyon area as they ran somewhere far beyond speed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm still writing these? I'm really still writing these!?
> 
> So, this story almost never saw the light of day. I was carrying around the idea at the start of 2020, writing the outline down the month after I finished my Domestic Dog story. However, business with school and the events of the pandemic distracted me from putting solid hours in to actually write it until the Spring. According to my records, it seems I wrote about 3/4 of this in April, took a break to put my thesis together, then finished up the rest in June. I just can't seem to leave a project unfinished! But I also learned an important lesson, that it's surprisingly easy to drop and restart an in-progress story, even with gaps of months between writing time. Unless that's just me and my freakish memory at work…
> 
> Anyway, this story feels a little different from the others. I wasn't really going for a cozy shipping story, self-insert or otherwise. Instead, I think that after I watched episode 7 of Kemono Friends 2, I ended up liking the featured characters quite a bit while lamenting that the show writing didn't really do anything interesting with them. In the name of correcting "missed potential," I sort of imagined an idea of what the episode could have been, which eventually turned into this story. So, I guess my only aim with this one is to show off that I'm better than the official writers of the anime. Not a high bar…but I'd bet they'd have written something better given half a year too!
> 
> I also tried playing a little faster and looser with the dialogue and narrative perspective this time. These are aspects I'm always trying to get more comfortable with in my writing. So if any one part seems "off" to any readers, please point it out. 
> 
> It was fun as always, and in the comments feel free to rant, rave, criticize, praise, et. I appreciate any feedback, but I'm not begging for it. Kudos to everyone who's encouraged me so far, and also to the fan artists who never fail to inspire me. Hope you enjoyed reading, see you next story.
> 
> —Leucotis, 6/13/20


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